Thursdays - Devotions for Writers"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.
Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged,
for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."
(Joshua 1:9 NIV)
I know a young woman who has a beautiful voice. She loves to sing. In the car, around the house, during worship . . .
She’s an extrovert who doesn’t fear meeting new people - or speaking to a crowd.
But this same woman will never sing in front of a small group of people, let alone a large one.
Do you want to know why?
When she was a little girl she was given a solo to sing during the Christmas production at a large church. The evening of the program, the worship center filled with hundreds of people. She’d been excited for weeks to play the role of Mary and sing the lullaby, but while kids got into custom, many of them asked if she felt nervous. When the time came for her to sing, she was terrified. During the song her voice cracked while hitting a high note, and following the performance, several kids teased her.
She’s been afraid to sing alone in public since that night.
We’re products of our past. Our history plays a significant role in how we perceive ourselves and what we can accomplish.
We all probably have memories of at least one failure. One thing that makes us cringe inside every time we allow ourselves to think about it. An event or person who made us feel small, or not good enough.
Our writing life can also be affected when we allow past failures or hurtful comments to paralyze us.
It may take all the courage we have to write the story of our heart, allow a critique group to read it, and then submit it to an editor or agent.
But remember this . . .
You’re a child of God. You have a personal relationship with a King! And He loves you.
You’re special. And He’s bestowed a passion and gift for writing upon you because He has a purpose for you and what you create.
Be courageous enough to follow your calling.
God is with you wherever you go.
Dawn
